Thursday, March 27, 2014

The Chequered Flag

And, yes! Heather has roared past the finish line!

Well, I've finished the hand-quilting, anyway. There is still the binding and final wash to go, but that will be SO quick and painless after the quilting. I'll show you a picture tomorrow, it's dark now.

What prompts this faux excitement is James' question to me as I announced that I was almost finished. He asked if I was thrilled. And while yes, I suppose there was a little flurry of elation to know that I was almost done, the last stitch felt like the first, and all the millions in between.

It reminds me of when I used to run, and did a few 5 and 10 k. races. I was never a competitor, I just ran for myself, and to see the finish line approaching never spurred me on to a glorious final dash. It was just one step after one step after one step, and then I stopped, and had a nice drink of water.

There is a sense of being glad it's over, but there is no grand finale in handwork. I think a button being sewn on has more drama. My pleasure is all in the work itself.

Update: Deb left the most thought-provoking comment on this one, prompting me to ask, "How do YOU feel when you are almost done a piece?"

You are what we call a "process" stitcher - as opposed to a "product" stitcher. I tend to be somewhere between them. I enjoy the process but I'm also glad to be done so I can enjoy the product. Also so I can start something new! I try not to have too many things going at once or they never get finished.

Love that quilt. It makes me want to make some blocks and hand-quilt them. And I just finished a couple of intensive days of working on the hand-stitching of a project!

Most of the time, by the time I finish a project, I'm just ready to be done. I'm happy because it gives me permission to start another project. And then after a day or two I enjoy the piece I finally finished.

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About Me

I'm an artist who has been making stuff for 30 years. I used to spin, knit, weave, quilt, design, write, embroider and garden, and I still do most of these things, but for the last few years I have been focused on stitching images from Canada's first natural history, the Codex Canadensis.
I try to live a life of minimal consumption and maximum creation. More and more, I see how these are connected.